We're reaching a conjunction of Sun and Mars (exact July 26). If you looked down at the solar system while hovering above it from space, you would see a direct alignment of Earth, Sun, and Mars. The last conjunction, when Mars was on the far side of the Sun (where we can’t see it), was June 14, 2015 (this will be important to consider, so bear with me here). The last opposition (when Mars was behind the Earth opposing the Sun), was last year during Mars’ retrograde cycle on May 22, 2016. Thus, a Sun/Mars conjunction or opposition alternates roughly each year. You don’t need to understand the technical details, but check out the images below for a visual. The main point is that the last conjunction was in June of 2015, so what’s shifting now relates to what began or shifted at that time.

The Sun/Mars conjunction July 26, 2017 as seen from a heliocentric (Sun centered) perspective

The Sun/Mars retrograde opposition May 22, 2016 as viewed from a heliocentric (Sun centered) perspective

Mars is the archetypal warrior of the solar system. It relates to our need and desire to actively get what we want from life (claim what we desire), to defend ourselves, and take up some space in the world. This Earth/Mars synodic cycle (the technical term for the Sun/Mars/Earth alignments), relates to shifting themes connected to the archetypal nature of Mars. Look to the house or place that holds 4 degrees of tropical Leo for insight into the next two year cycle. Mars has many faces, and they shift alongside these conjunctions/oppositions.

While you may not realize it, you go through a roughly two year cycle craving or pursuing a particular theme which takes up much of your physical and psychic energy. That particular craving will be shifting again, and you'll be in pursuit of something else entirely which you can actualize over the next two years. I feel that the emergence of these cravings/desires are more closely related to the conjunctions, because Mars is symbolically engulfed by the Sun (it literally disappears behind it) and is renewed, thus Mars receives a new mission to actualize in the world.

The conjunctions of Sun and Mars deal with the emergence or start and activation of new paths. The oppositions relate to critical turning points in which we change the direction or flow of these actualizing impulses (because Mars is retrograde at these times). From the evolutionary astrological perspective, it is believed that Mars is a lower octave of Pluto. While Pluto is a symbolic reference for the desires existing within the soul, Mars is the means through which they’re carried through and actualized in the physical world. Thus, these conjunctions are significant markers in time and space for which we can better understand and work with to initiate (during the conjunction) or revise and redirect (during the retrograde opposition) desires of a metaphysical origin.

If we entertain the hypothetical suggestion that Mars somehow relates to the actualization of the soul’s pre-existing desires, then these cycles help us burn off our karma, or maybe even acquire more of it. So, we must bring more consciousness to this process to direct these energies to our evolutionary advantage. Check in with yourself (or your chart) to see what the next chapter holds and where much energy and passion will be directed. You're probably feeling it now with a change in the flow of your vitality and life force. On a purely collective level, this conjunction is heating up our drive, enthusiasm, and passion, or even revealing pent up frustration or anger. This may be a time to check in with yourself to see what's in the way of you attaining what you want or taking up some space in the world.

While the psychologist Sigmund Freud was probably off with many of his ideas, he did suggest that depression results from internalized anger and rage (but perhaps excluding clinical forms). I think that’s deeply insightful. To elaborate, if we repress our creativity, passion, and even sexual desires, then such feelings turn destructive and debilitating within the psyche. Also, if we favor one desire over another, then we tend to experience a polarization and the repressed desire manifests more strongly (even taking over our willpower for a period of time). If you're feeling moody, irritable, angry, frustrated, or depressed around this conjunction (unless of course you have obvious reasons to be), it's likely due to a blocked Eros, an inability to express your willpower or sexual and creative drive. You may want to get proactive now about ways you can direct this energy toward healthy and productive outlets.

Following a powerful New Moon with an applying conjunction to Mars (which occurred on July 23), this Sun/Mars conjunction is a significant starting point, and it’s been building up for some time. Mars has been in very close proximity to the Sun since mid-June of 2017, and so you’ve been feeling this transition ripple since then. This exact conjunction on July 26 may not manifest as a significant event, but so often the days surrounding the conjunction are accompanied by new beginnings of different flavors.

Whether you experience this energy positively or negatively has largely to do, hypothetically speaking, with how aligned you are with your soul’s true desires. Are you actively engaged with your life force, creativity, and passion? Are you listening to Eros? If not, then this can be a good time to connect with that reality, and begin taking those steps toward making changes that can better align you with what you’ve come here to do. If you are, then ride this wave confidently toward the actualization of what you really want. As we’re in the midst of eclipse season for the next month, expect to be on an accelerated path for change and personal transformation.